The bucket-list things to do — and who runs each one.
Here’s the bucket list for your day ashore: the most extraordinary thing to do at each stop, who runs it, and how to book it direct — so you can weigh it against your ship’s excursion and pick what suits you.
In port at Hrisey, the bucket-list move is Private Whale Watching in Eyjafjörður — World's Longest Fjord. Below: 2 bucket-list things to do on a Hrisey port day — worth weighing against whatever your ship offers.
Sail the sheltered waters of Eyjafjörður, one of Iceland's richest feeding grounds for humpback and minke whales. With a private guide and a small vessel, this is an intimate, unhurried encounter with Iceland's marine giants at their most majestic.
Book itAkureyri: Whale Watching Shore Excursions$103 per person
Journey inland from Akureyri to Goðafoss — the Waterfall of the Gods — then on to the ethereal volcanic landscape of Lake Mývatn, where steaming vents, lava castles, and nesting ducks create a scene that feels prehistoric. A private driver-guide makes this entirely at your pace.
We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for
this one, so we are not quoting either.
Perched on a forested hillside above Akureyri with sweeping fjord views, the Forest Lagoon is Iceland's most elegantly designed geothermal bathing experience outside Reykjavik. Infinity pools, a sauna pavilion, and curated calm make this utterly restorative.
Book itAkureyri: Admission to Forest Lagoon with Towel and Drink$80 per person
Hrísey is one of Iceland's great secret birding islands, home to the densest population of Arctic ptarmigan in the country — so tame they amble across the path. A local guide leads you through wildflower meadows and clifftop panoramas on this 'Pearl of Eyjafjörður.'
We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for
this one, so we are not quoting either.
Hidden in a modest Hrísey home is one of Iceland's most surreal and beloved curiosities: the personal museum of Jörundur, a fisherman who spent decades collecting oddities, antiques, and Greenlandic shark lore. Taste fermented hákarl and hear living Icelandic history.
We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for
this one, so we are not quoting either.
Cast a line in the crystal rivers of northern Iceland's interior for wild Arctic char and brown trout, guided by a specialist local angler who knows every pool. This is Icelandic fly-fishing at its most exclusive — remote, pristine, and world-class.
We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for
this one, so we are not quoting either.
Your day in HriseyNothing picked yet — tick what you fancy
$0for two, booked direct
Now plan the rest of it
You know what to do on the day. Here is the trip it belongs to —
each one opens as a whole plan, not a list: where to fly in, every port, what it runs.